Davis, California (September 1, 2014)--Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. (MBI), a leading provider of bio-based pest management and plant health products for the agriculture, turf and ornamental and water treatment markets, today announced that its VENERATETM Bioinsecticide is now registered in California. VENERATE is a new tool to help California growers control crop-damaging insect pests, fight the development of insect resistance and reduce pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables.

This new broad-spectrum bioinsecticide is active against a wide array of chewing and sucking insects and mites but is easy on beneficial insects. It features novel modes of action that stem from a diverse set of compounds produced by a bacterium discovered in MBI’s proprietary screening process. VENERATE works via exposure or ingestion, whereby insects die over a period of 5-7 days after being sprayed with, or feeding on treated plant surfaces.

“We are pleased with VENERATE’s registration in California, one of the largest agricultural markets in the world,” said Pam Marrone, MBI’s CEO. ”Today’s growers are faced with ever-increasing regulatory restrictions and an evolving problem of insects developing resistance to chemical pesticides with a single mode of action. Growers who traditionally employ those types of insecticides for crop protection can now leverage VENERATE —which has multiple modes of action and a very low potential for insect resistance — to help them extend the useful life of chemical pesticides that have high resistance potential.”

VENERATE is labeled for a wide array of crops and is approved for use in conventional and organic systems. It is available in a liquid formulation with flexibility to apply by ground or air, no limit on the number of applications allowed per season, and the minimum four-hour re-entry interval. The product is non-toxic to fish, birds, and most beneficial insects including honeybees and also has the advantages of a zero-day pre-harvest interval (PHI) and an exemption from MRL (maximum residue level) tolerances — a measure of pesticide residue limits that must be met for most food crop exports.

“Reducing growers’ and produce buyers’ concerns over pesticide residues is another important benefit of VENERATE,” adds Dr. Carlos Reyes, VP of Product Development. “Virtually all produce that is exported from the U.S. is now subject to testing for pesticide residues. VENERATE — like its companion product GRANDEVO®— is exempt from maximum residue level tolerances. Combine this with the zero-day PHI and growers can protect the quality and marketability of their crops right up to the day of harvest and greatly reduce the chance their crops will be rejected because of residues.”